Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 88
June 6, 2017
The One Where She Says, "Let's Try Knitting"
With crochet being a reasonable success, I said to myself, "Why don't you try knitting?"
First, let me remind you (or inform sporadic readers who might have missed my original confession) that I am probably the least crafty person you'll ever meet. My mom didn't knit or crochet or do needlepoint or anything like that and all my grandparents were dead before I was six, so there was no on in my family to show me how to do any of these things.
Second, I'll mention my previous attempts at craft-type things were all dismal failures. Knitting was particularly a memorable failure when I was in either junior high or high school. I can't remember which one, just that it didn't go well. The only thing I was worse at--we're talking complete failure here--was sewing.
So when I had the brainstorm to learn to crochet, I didn't expect it to be more than a lark. I chose crochet because I wanted to crochet the tops for kitchen towels so I could have the towel, color, and length I wanted, but I didn't expect to go much farther than that.
Needless to say, I was shocked with how much I enjoyed crochet. The chief benefit was that it helped me tremendously with my anxiety issues and my stress levels were off the charts by January when I took my first crochet lesson. Once I realized this wasn't one of my projects I was going to start and drop, I replaced my cheap hooks with good ones, bought a yarn valet and an yarn bowl, and started creating a stash of yarn.
But Patti, you're saying, what about knitting? This post is supposed to be knitting.
Two things happened that kind of got me going with knitting. The first was that as I was looking for crochet patterns, I'd find super cool patterns that were for knitting. If I couldn't bear to lose them, I'd save them, but I still didn't plan to ever knit myself. Sure, crochet was going well, but that's manipulating one stick. I was pretty sure I wasn't coordinated enough to do two sticks at the same time.
The second thing that happened was that I started a Facebook group for authors, editors, and other publishing-related people who knit or crochet. The group is overwhelmingly knitters and as they shared their work, the desire to try knitting again grew stronger.
I finally decided to give it a shot. After all, if I could crochet now--something I also failed at as a teen--maybe knitting would go better too. And I already had the yarn and assorted yarn things, so it would only be a matter of finding a class and buying a set or two of needles. The straight, metal 10" needles were under $5 so why not?
As it turns out, I enjoy knitting, too, and while I'm a failure at continental knitting--I was like a seal (the aquatic kind) trying to knit with two flippers--I stopped feeling lost when I switched to English style knitting.
I'm still a rank beginner, and I haven't finished my first scarf yet, but I decided to invest in interchangeable needles. I didn't get the real expensive ones, but good, solid, middle of the road needles. So far I've knitted, purled, and made lace. Oh, and when I started the Marly Bird Knit ALong, I learned to do garter tab. At first, it was hard, but after ripping my work out probably six times and starting over, I finally got that, too.
Here is the first half of my first scarf. I'm still working on the second half.
First, let me remind you (or inform sporadic readers who might have missed my original confession) that I am probably the least crafty person you'll ever meet. My mom didn't knit or crochet or do needlepoint or anything like that and all my grandparents were dead before I was six, so there was no on in my family to show me how to do any of these things.
Second, I'll mention my previous attempts at craft-type things were all dismal failures. Knitting was particularly a memorable failure when I was in either junior high or high school. I can't remember which one, just that it didn't go well. The only thing I was worse at--we're talking complete failure here--was sewing.
So when I had the brainstorm to learn to crochet, I didn't expect it to be more than a lark. I chose crochet because I wanted to crochet the tops for kitchen towels so I could have the towel, color, and length I wanted, but I didn't expect to go much farther than that.
Needless to say, I was shocked with how much I enjoyed crochet. The chief benefit was that it helped me tremendously with my anxiety issues and my stress levels were off the charts by January when I took my first crochet lesson. Once I realized this wasn't one of my projects I was going to start and drop, I replaced my cheap hooks with good ones, bought a yarn valet and an yarn bowl, and started creating a stash of yarn.
But Patti, you're saying, what about knitting? This post is supposed to be knitting.
Two things happened that kind of got me going with knitting. The first was that as I was looking for crochet patterns, I'd find super cool patterns that were for knitting. If I couldn't bear to lose them, I'd save them, but I still didn't plan to ever knit myself. Sure, crochet was going well, but that's manipulating one stick. I was pretty sure I wasn't coordinated enough to do two sticks at the same time.
The second thing that happened was that I started a Facebook group for authors, editors, and other publishing-related people who knit or crochet. The group is overwhelmingly knitters and as they shared their work, the desire to try knitting again grew stronger.
I finally decided to give it a shot. After all, if I could crochet now--something I also failed at as a teen--maybe knitting would go better too. And I already had the yarn and assorted yarn things, so it would only be a matter of finding a class and buying a set or two of needles. The straight, metal 10" needles were under $5 so why not?
As it turns out, I enjoy knitting, too, and while I'm a failure at continental knitting--I was like a seal (the aquatic kind) trying to knit with two flippers--I stopped feeling lost when I switched to English style knitting.
I'm still a rank beginner, and I haven't finished my first scarf yet, but I decided to invest in interchangeable needles. I didn't get the real expensive ones, but good, solid, middle of the road needles. So far I've knitted, purled, and made lace. Oh, and when I started the Marly Bird Knit ALong, I learned to do garter tab. At first, it was hard, but after ripping my work out probably six times and starting over, I finally got that, too.
Here is the first half of my first scarf. I'm still working on the second half.
June 1, 2017
Office Rehab
My office has literally been a disaster since my stuff was moved to Georgia. I kept meaning to take care of that room, but meh. Talk about no fun at all. It's continued to get worse and worse because it's just too easy to dump more crap in there when it's already a mess. And then there comes the day where you absolutely have to tackle it.
Today was that day. (I'm writing this on a Saturday.) At least it was day one of what will be a multi-day project.
I was right--it wasn't fun. One of the things I had to do that I didn't like was get rid of my Smithsonian Magazines. I love Smithsonian Magazine! I literally read it cover to cover...when I had time to read it. That was part of the problem. Because I did read everything in it, it took me forever to get through an issue and then they started backing up. I moved at least two years worth of the magazine from Minnesota to Georgia. And never read them. It seemed sad to get rid of them, but what were the odds I was going to read magazines that were more than five years old? Exactly.
The other thing that cropped up was power cords for electronics. Which electronics? Well, that was the million dollar question. (And it still is a question.) Why the heck don't these companies put the name of the product on the damn power cord? I honestly have a ton of power cords that I don't dare get rid of, but have no idea what item they're for. Gah!
There were many little things I didn't want to get rid of: pins for winning writing contests, pins for my milestone company anniversaries; and ear buds. I kept buying ear buds because I thought I needed them, but no, I didn't. I have a million pairs of the things. Sigh.
And I didn't get rid of nearly enough stuff. I know this, but it's hard. The worst part is that there's still so much left to do in there. I was hoping to get it done in one day, but just couldn't. I guess this project rolls to tomorrow.
Today was that day. (I'm writing this on a Saturday.) At least it was day one of what will be a multi-day project.
I was right--it wasn't fun. One of the things I had to do that I didn't like was get rid of my Smithsonian Magazines. I love Smithsonian Magazine! I literally read it cover to cover...when I had time to read it. That was part of the problem. Because I did read everything in it, it took me forever to get through an issue and then they started backing up. I moved at least two years worth of the magazine from Minnesota to Georgia. And never read them. It seemed sad to get rid of them, but what were the odds I was going to read magazines that were more than five years old? Exactly.
The other thing that cropped up was power cords for electronics. Which electronics? Well, that was the million dollar question. (And it still is a question.) Why the heck don't these companies put the name of the product on the damn power cord? I honestly have a ton of power cords that I don't dare get rid of, but have no idea what item they're for. Gah!
There were many little things I didn't want to get rid of: pins for winning writing contests, pins for my milestone company anniversaries; and ear buds. I kept buying ear buds because I thought I needed them, but no, I didn't. I have a million pairs of the things. Sigh.
And I didn't get rid of nearly enough stuff. I know this, but it's hard. The worst part is that there's still so much left to do in there. I was hoping to get it done in one day, but just couldn't. I guess this project rolls to tomorrow.
May 30, 2017
Super Duper Target
***I received no compensation of any kind from anyone for this post.***
More thoughts from my Minnesota trip.
Growing up--and living most of my life--in Minnesota, I took a few things for granted. Like Target. From where I lived, I had three Target stores nearby. I could go to any of the three of them without having to drive very far. One of these three is not just a Super Target, but like a Super Duper Colossal Target. :-) The kind with a nearly full grocery store in addition to an enormous rest of the store.
It was like walking into heaven. (FYI, I love Target!)
There's only one Target near me in Georgia and it's not that close. It also doesn't have the space or the amount of merchandise that I saw in the Minnesota Target.
At the Minnesota store, I saw these awesome welcome mats. The welcome mat I have now (also purchased at MN Target when I moved into my MN house) is faded and starting to wear. I thought about replacing it with one of the cute mats I spotted on this trip, but my dad had misled me about the amount of stuff we had to haul down from MN to GA, and I knew the car was going to be tight. I decided I'd check out my GA Target for the mats.
I should have bought the welcome mat I liked while I was in Minnesota. They did not have them at my local store. It was also sad to walk into my local store and see how much smaller it was than my old Minnesota favorite.
There are so many things I miss about Minnesota, but one of the big ones is having my choice of awesome Target stores close at hand.
PS: Ditto for Caribou Coffee. OMG, it was a dream to have so many Caribou stores close to me wherever I was in the Twin Cities! I don't even have a Caribou anywhere near me in Georgia and I have to order my coffee online. Sadness.
***I received no compensation of any kind from anyone for this post.***
More thoughts from my Minnesota trip.
Growing up--and living most of my life--in Minnesota, I took a few things for granted. Like Target. From where I lived, I had three Target stores nearby. I could go to any of the three of them without having to drive very far. One of these three is not just a Super Target, but like a Super Duper Colossal Target. :-) The kind with a nearly full grocery store in addition to an enormous rest of the store.
It was like walking into heaven. (FYI, I love Target!)
There's only one Target near me in Georgia and it's not that close. It also doesn't have the space or the amount of merchandise that I saw in the Minnesota Target.
At the Minnesota store, I saw these awesome welcome mats. The welcome mat I have now (also purchased at MN Target when I moved into my MN house) is faded and starting to wear. I thought about replacing it with one of the cute mats I spotted on this trip, but my dad had misled me about the amount of stuff we had to haul down from MN to GA, and I knew the car was going to be tight. I decided I'd check out my GA Target for the mats.
I should have bought the welcome mat I liked while I was in Minnesota. They did not have them at my local store. It was also sad to walk into my local store and see how much smaller it was than my old Minnesota favorite.
There are so many things I miss about Minnesota, but one of the big ones is having my choice of awesome Target stores close at hand.
PS: Ditto for Caribou Coffee. OMG, it was a dream to have so many Caribou stores close to me wherever I was in the Twin Cities! I don't even have a Caribou anywhere near me in Georgia and I have to order my coffee online. Sadness.
***I received no compensation of any kind from anyone for this post.***
May 25, 2017
Travel Stress Tips
This isn't directly a Minnesota trip post, but it kind of ties into it and I thought I'd share.
I was listening to a podcast the other week and one of the tips given on the episode was to take bookend days around your travel. Basically, that means take the day off before you leave and the day off after you come back to reduce your stress level when you travel.
This is something I heartily endorse. When it's been possible, I've always taken an extra day off from work so that I have a day or two home after my trip. This gives me time to unpack, do laundry, and unwind from the hassle of either driving or flying. I learned this years ago and have done it ever since. It's the difference between going back to work exhausted (a lot of my vacations were to writing conferences, and as an introvert, those things left me drained) and going back to work relaxed. Or at least mostly relaxed. :-)
What I hadn't done in the past was take the day off before I traveled. Until this trip to Minnesota and that was an accident. I'd taken the Friday off before we left because my dad had a doctor's appointment. I didn't know then when, exactly, we'd be headed to Minnesota, but when everything fell into place, it turned out we were leaving that Saturday.
OMG! It was fabulous! I wasn't up until 2am packing for the first time in like forever. (I hate packing and tend to put it off until the last minute.) So we went to the doctor, stopped at the grocery store to get drinks and snacks for the trip, and had time to pack, and load the car and do the million other things a person needs to do before a car trip.
From now on, I am definitely (if I have the vacation time) taking off the day before. It was the best thing I'd done to ease travel stress in a long time.
It was after I came home that I heard the podcast and I had to laugh. Why couldn't I have heard that travel tip years ago? I'd been doing half of the bookending for years, but taking the day before had never dawned on me. Lesson learned.
I was listening to a podcast the other week and one of the tips given on the episode was to take bookend days around your travel. Basically, that means take the day off before you leave and the day off after you come back to reduce your stress level when you travel.
This is something I heartily endorse. When it's been possible, I've always taken an extra day off from work so that I have a day or two home after my trip. This gives me time to unpack, do laundry, and unwind from the hassle of either driving or flying. I learned this years ago and have done it ever since. It's the difference between going back to work exhausted (a lot of my vacations were to writing conferences, and as an introvert, those things left me drained) and going back to work relaxed. Or at least mostly relaxed. :-)
What I hadn't done in the past was take the day off before I traveled. Until this trip to Minnesota and that was an accident. I'd taken the Friday off before we left because my dad had a doctor's appointment. I didn't know then when, exactly, we'd be headed to Minnesota, but when everything fell into place, it turned out we were leaving that Saturday.
OMG! It was fabulous! I wasn't up until 2am packing for the first time in like forever. (I hate packing and tend to put it off until the last minute.) So we went to the doctor, stopped at the grocery store to get drinks and snacks for the trip, and had time to pack, and load the car and do the million other things a person needs to do before a car trip.
From now on, I am definitely (if I have the vacation time) taking off the day before. It was the best thing I'd done to ease travel stress in a long time.
It was after I came home that I heard the podcast and I had to laugh. Why couldn't I have heard that travel tip years ago? I'd been doing half of the bookending for years, but taking the day before had never dawned on me. Lesson learned.
May 23, 2017
A Job Not Completed
This is a Minnesota trip post.
After two days of driving, my dad and arrived at the house. We opened the garage door and it wasn't empty. The garage--the entire house--was supposed to be nearly empty. My dad had paid the guy who held the estate sale in December to empty it out and he'd paid him a lot of money for this job to be completed.
There was also stuff in the basement he hadn't gotten rid of either--big things like a console television and a console record player that was probably from the 1950s or 1960s and some cabinets and more stuff. Really, dude? What a way to screw over an elderly person who trusted you.
Before we'd left Georgia, my dad had said there was almost nothing in the house and that there was even less we needed to bring back to my house. He left me with the impression that there was nothing left to do and I'd brought a lot of things along to keep me occupied. The list included two crochet projects, two crochet video classes I'd loaded onto my iPad, four movies I'd put on my iPad, and the computer I use to write with away from home. I had such plans!
Everything went out the window when we saw the house hadn't been emptied out the way it was supposed to me. The estate sale guy, BTW, had not answered my dad's phone calls since at least January, possibly earlier than that, so there was no way to get him to finish the job he'd been paid to do.
The good news was that when we met with the Realtor the next day who'd be listing the house, she said she had the name of someone who could get rid of the rest of the stuff after we left, including the mattresses we'd be using while we were there. My dad had a mattress on a bed frame, but the mattress in my room was on the floor. Sigh. But the real estate lady saved us so much hassle and that was a big deal. She also arranged for someone to come clean the house after we left.
Score two for real estate lady, and minus one for estate sale guy.
After two days of driving, my dad and arrived at the house. We opened the garage door and it wasn't empty. The garage--the entire house--was supposed to be nearly empty. My dad had paid the guy who held the estate sale in December to empty it out and he'd paid him a lot of money for this job to be completed.
There was also stuff in the basement he hadn't gotten rid of either--big things like a console television and a console record player that was probably from the 1950s or 1960s and some cabinets and more stuff. Really, dude? What a way to screw over an elderly person who trusted you.
Before we'd left Georgia, my dad had said there was almost nothing in the house and that there was even less we needed to bring back to my house. He left me with the impression that there was nothing left to do and I'd brought a lot of things along to keep me occupied. The list included two crochet projects, two crochet video classes I'd loaded onto my iPad, four movies I'd put on my iPad, and the computer I use to write with away from home. I had such plans!
Everything went out the window when we saw the house hadn't been emptied out the way it was supposed to me. The estate sale guy, BTW, had not answered my dad's phone calls since at least January, possibly earlier than that, so there was no way to get him to finish the job he'd been paid to do.
The good news was that when we met with the Realtor the next day who'd be listing the house, she said she had the name of someone who could get rid of the rest of the stuff after we left, including the mattresses we'd be using while we were there. My dad had a mattress on a bed frame, but the mattress in my room was on the floor. Sigh. But the real estate lady saved us so much hassle and that was a big deal. She also arranged for someone to come clean the house after we left.
Score two for real estate lady, and minus one for estate sale guy.
May 18, 2017
4:30 = 6:00
I mentioned in my previous post that my dad and I were headed up to Minnesota. He's been living with me since my mom passed away and with the house finally empty except for a few things, we were going to drive up and list it for sale. I'm going to do a bunch of posts about this experience because, well, this is the house I grew up in and writing helps me deal with the mixed emotions I have.
My dad keeps meticulous records whenever we take a car trip. He has detailed information on every trek to Minnesota and back and he brings them along on the next trip and does comparisons. Not the way I'd choose to pass my time stuck in a car, but it works for him. :-)
Every trip I always say, "this time, let's leave at 4:30." Every time. I push us to pack as much as we can in the car the night before so that we don't waste extra time in the morning. And every time leave at 6am. I know because my dad has it written down.
I am notoriously slow-moving in the mornings, but on the car trip side of the equation, I am not the one making us late. It's my dad.
It should just be a matter of packing the coolers and putting them in the car in the morning. Maybe 20 minutes max, and of course, the usual morning things that you have to do to leave the house, like shower. ;-) I really have no idea what he's doing that takes an extra 90 minutes. He doesn't seem to be rushing around, trying to get last minute things done.
With the house listed for sale, we've probably made our last car trip to Minnesota, so how he fills the three hours it takes him to get ready to ride in my car will remain a mystery, but it's oh, so frustrating.
My dad keeps meticulous records whenever we take a car trip. He has detailed information on every trek to Minnesota and back and he brings them along on the next trip and does comparisons. Not the way I'd choose to pass my time stuck in a car, but it works for him. :-)
Every trip I always say, "this time, let's leave at 4:30." Every time. I push us to pack as much as we can in the car the night before so that we don't waste extra time in the morning. And every time leave at 6am. I know because my dad has it written down.
I am notoriously slow-moving in the mornings, but on the car trip side of the equation, I am not the one making us late. It's my dad.
It should just be a matter of packing the coolers and putting them in the car in the morning. Maybe 20 minutes max, and of course, the usual morning things that you have to do to leave the house, like shower. ;-) I really have no idea what he's doing that takes an extra 90 minutes. He doesn't seem to be rushing around, trying to get last minute things done.
With the house listed for sale, we've probably made our last car trip to Minnesota, so how he fills the three hours it takes him to get ready to ride in my car will remain a mystery, but it's oh, so frustrating.
May 16, 2017
Crazy Dang Bird
My house has this awesome covered patio in back, but it presents a few challenges since it's not screened in. Leaves are the big one. This year, though, I have a new problem. A crazy bird was trying to build a nest on top of one of the columns! There's literally like a half an inch of space available up there, if that, but he (or she) kept trying.
As soon as I noticed the mud going on the top, I'd scrap it off. I refused to even let it reach nest stage. I sprayed bleach up there, hoping the odor would deter it. No dice. So every day as soon as I got home from work, I'd go outside and scrap off the layer of mud.
And then my dad and I were going up to Minnesota to put his house on the market and I knew if we didn't do something, we'd return home to a full-blown nest. The mud all over the patio floor and ceiling and on the walls of the house were bad enough--I did not want to see what a nest full of little baby birds could do with their poop shoots. (If you watch the web cams of eagles nests, you know what I'm talking about here.)
Researching online didn't offer much in the way of solutions. The only idea someone had that seemed to work was fastening a mirror atop the pillar so the bird thought another bird was there. I didn't have any mirrors lying around the house and I really didn't have time to go shopping for one, so I gave it some thought and came up with my own idea.
You can see the mud that darn bird left all over the side of my house! (boo) But I'm not sure you can see what I did. You know when you order something and the store uses those air-filled pillows to keep things from knocking around? We used two of those and taped them on top the pillar with painters tape.
We caught the bird there a couple of times before we left and I expected to come back to find he had ripped down our makeshift barrier or that a storm had blown it away. That's not what happened. When we returned home, everything was still up there and there were no bird's nests to be found. Hurrah!
As soon as I noticed the mud going on the top, I'd scrap it off. I refused to even let it reach nest stage. I sprayed bleach up there, hoping the odor would deter it. No dice. So every day as soon as I got home from work, I'd go outside and scrap off the layer of mud.
And then my dad and I were going up to Minnesota to put his house on the market and I knew if we didn't do something, we'd return home to a full-blown nest. The mud all over the patio floor and ceiling and on the walls of the house were bad enough--I did not want to see what a nest full of little baby birds could do with their poop shoots. (If you watch the web cams of eagles nests, you know what I'm talking about here.)
Researching online didn't offer much in the way of solutions. The only idea someone had that seemed to work was fastening a mirror atop the pillar so the bird thought another bird was there. I didn't have any mirrors lying around the house and I really didn't have time to go shopping for one, so I gave it some thought and came up with my own idea.
You can see the mud that darn bird left all over the side of my house! (boo) But I'm not sure you can see what I did. You know when you order something and the store uses those air-filled pillows to keep things from knocking around? We used two of those and taped them on top the pillar with painters tape.
We caught the bird there a couple of times before we left and I expected to come back to find he had ripped down our makeshift barrier or that a storm had blown it away. That's not what happened. When we returned home, everything was still up there and there were no bird's nests to be found. Hurrah!
May 11, 2017
The Pillow Problem
I like to try out pillows. Some I end up using for a while, but a lot of them are only used a few times, maybe up to two weeks and then I decide that I don't like them. Now I have pillows up the wazoo and nowhere to put them. :-(
I would love to donate them to someone--anyone--but I haven't been able to find any charity that will accept pillows. I understand the reasons for this, but it makes me sad because this leaves me with only two options. Number one: keep the pillows forever, unused and taking up space. Number two: throw them in the trash, which hurts my soul because taking up landfill space with pillows that are practically new is criminal.
So far, I'm going with option one and I've stopped testing new pillows, but I really need that space.
I've found articles about upcycling pillows. First, I hate the term upcycling. Most of the projects I see with this word look worse than whatever is being re-purposed. Second, I don't want any of those things in my house because they're still taking up space and I don't like them anyway.
Sometimes I wonder what it will take to get me to throw these pillows away, but mostly I just hope that this time when I search online, I'll find a charity that will accept them.
I would love to donate them to someone--anyone--but I haven't been able to find any charity that will accept pillows. I understand the reasons for this, but it makes me sad because this leaves me with only two options. Number one: keep the pillows forever, unused and taking up space. Number two: throw them in the trash, which hurts my soul because taking up landfill space with pillows that are practically new is criminal.
So far, I'm going with option one and I've stopped testing new pillows, but I really need that space.
I've found articles about upcycling pillows. First, I hate the term upcycling. Most of the projects I see with this word look worse than whatever is being re-purposed. Second, I don't want any of those things in my house because they're still taking up space and I don't like them anyway.
Sometimes I wonder what it will take to get me to throw these pillows away, but mostly I just hope that this time when I search online, I'll find a charity that will accept them.
May 9, 2017
Take It Back and Get the More Expensive One
One of my favorite movie lines is from Valley Girl, which despite the title and the way they speak is a super cute film. Our teenage heroine is talking to her dad and tells him she has a problem. It's a boy problem, but he assumes it's a shopping issue and what he says to her is pure gold. "Take it back and get the more expensive one. You know the more expensive ones always fit better."
I've had the truth of this demonstrated to me repeatedly in life. Not so much on clothes like on other things. Like when the iPod first came out, I wanted one, but I didn't want to spend that much money. I decided to buy a different brand which was much cheaper. It was also much bigger and clunkier and a pain to deal with. After a couple of years, I did buy an iPod and I loved it. It was light years better than the cheap MP3 player I'd bought. Ultimately, I guess it wasn't that cheap because I only used it a couple of years before buying the original and better player.
Or the time I wanted an iPad and didn't want to spend that much money. I bought an android tablet which was smaller, heavy, slow, and clunky. I bought an iPad later and now I'm not even sure where the other tablet is.
There are other examples I could mention, and you'd think I'd learn my lesson, but apparently not. My Fitbit Zip case was wearing out and needed to be replaced. I looked at an actual Fitbit case, but there was a knockoff for half the price with excellent reviews. Despite how well the Fitbit case was working for me, despite knowing I usually end up sorry when I buy the cheaper one, I bought the knockoff.
It started coming apart within months of my getting it. I went back and bought the original Fitbit case and I'm much happier now. I wish I would figure this out instead of buying things twice.
I've had the truth of this demonstrated to me repeatedly in life. Not so much on clothes like on other things. Like when the iPod first came out, I wanted one, but I didn't want to spend that much money. I decided to buy a different brand which was much cheaper. It was also much bigger and clunkier and a pain to deal with. After a couple of years, I did buy an iPod and I loved it. It was light years better than the cheap MP3 player I'd bought. Ultimately, I guess it wasn't that cheap because I only used it a couple of years before buying the original and better player.
Or the time I wanted an iPad and didn't want to spend that much money. I bought an android tablet which was smaller, heavy, slow, and clunky. I bought an iPad later and now I'm not even sure where the other tablet is.
There are other examples I could mention, and you'd think I'd learn my lesson, but apparently not. My Fitbit Zip case was wearing out and needed to be replaced. I looked at an actual Fitbit case, but there was a knockoff for half the price with excellent reviews. Despite how well the Fitbit case was working for me, despite knowing I usually end up sorry when I buy the cheaper one, I bought the knockoff.
It started coming apart within months of my getting it. I went back and bought the original Fitbit case and I'm much happier now. I wish I would figure this out instead of buying things twice.
May 4, 2017
Retro Phones Or Down the Rabbit Hole
I'd originally planned to only blog about cool, retro phones, but then I realized that the entire story of how I got to the phones would kind of be a good illustration of what creative people are like. At least a good many of the ones that I know. And so I subtitled the post Down the Rabbit Hole.
Everything started out when I was perusing pictures online. I saw the cutest (and I do mean cutest) yellow patent leather pencil case. I began to wonder how much the pencil case cost and maybe I might want one. The picture was a repost, so I went to the original poster's page and scrolled through comments, hoping she cited the pencil case. I lucked out. Someone else had already asked where she'd gotten the case and she gave the name of the company.
Then I discovered this company was based in the UK. I looked through their website, found the pencil case came in hot pink, and immediately switched allegiance from the yellow. Their site said they sold on Amazon, so I did a search there, but only found the yellow pencil case. Disappointment.
Some searching online showed a US-based seller of the UK company's products and I found a link to a review on Amazon, which led me to the pink pencil case! It was under the US reseller's name, not the manufacturer's name. That prompted me to click on the US seller's name, hoping for more of the cool (and bright) products from the UK. They had some of that, but then I spotted the super awesome retro-style phone!
I don't need a phone. It didn't matter. It's retro! I love retro stuff, especially mid-century modern. But the phone pictured didn't have a way to turn off the ringer and that's a deal breaker for me. A little scrolling brought me to the other products customers have looked at, section and more retro phones. :-) And I was off and running.
After all this? I didn't buy a phone and I didn't buy the pencil case.
Everything started out when I was perusing pictures online. I saw the cutest (and I do mean cutest) yellow patent leather pencil case. I began to wonder how much the pencil case cost and maybe I might want one. The picture was a repost, so I went to the original poster's page and scrolled through comments, hoping she cited the pencil case. I lucked out. Someone else had already asked where she'd gotten the case and she gave the name of the company.
Then I discovered this company was based in the UK. I looked through their website, found the pencil case came in hot pink, and immediately switched allegiance from the yellow. Their site said they sold on Amazon, so I did a search there, but only found the yellow pencil case. Disappointment.
Some searching online showed a US-based seller of the UK company's products and I found a link to a review on Amazon, which led me to the pink pencil case! It was under the US reseller's name, not the manufacturer's name. That prompted me to click on the US seller's name, hoping for more of the cool (and bright) products from the UK. They had some of that, but then I spotted the super awesome retro-style phone!
I don't need a phone. It didn't matter. It's retro! I love retro stuff, especially mid-century modern. But the phone pictured didn't have a way to turn off the ringer and that's a deal breaker for me. A little scrolling brought me to the other products customers have looked at, section and more retro phones. :-) And I was off and running.
After all this? I didn't buy a phone and I didn't buy the pencil case.
